Evidence out there that Sharks tried to land Shea Weber, but Wilson won’t confirm or deny

All-star defenseman Shea Weber will play with the Nashville Predators or Philadelphia Flyers next season, but it’s safe to say that the Sharks were one of four teams in the hunt.

TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger reported last night that Philadelphia, the New York Rangers, Detroit and San Jose were “big players in Weber trade scenarios” before the Flyers opted to go the offer-sheet route instead.

And today Nashville Tennessean beat writer Josh Cooper is quoting an unnamed source saying Weber visited all four cities involved in the conversation, including San Jose.

But Sharks general manager Doug Wilson didn’t deviate from his usual response this afternoon when asked about any interest in Weber.

“I know it drives you nuts, but I don’t comment on any potential conversations I have with people out of respect for the confidentiality involved,” he told me when I reached him at a charity golf tournament in Chicago.

And there was a similar no-comment when I ran past him an online mention from earlier this month that he and Weber were seen dining together in Los Gatos.

The Sharks do have a history of at least sniffing around major transactions, and this one certainly qualifies. But it’s pretty safe to say that San Jose was not going to come up with anything close to the 14-year, $110 million offer sheet that Weber, a restricted free agent, signed with the Flyers. Both Wilson and ownership have made it clear they will not resort to heavily front-end loaded contracts of anywhere near that duration to close a deal. The Predators must now match the terms or lose him for four first-round draft picks under terms of the current collective bargaining agreement.

Reports say that Weber’s offer sheet pays him a $13 million signing bonus each of the first two years. The Sharks have made it clear in the past that is exactly the kind of salary-cap loophole that needs to be closed in the next bargaining agreement.

*****Those reports of trade talks between the Sharks and New York Rangers involving Dan Boyle and Marian Gaborik? Total fabrication, according to a source who should know.

David Pollak

David Pollak has been following the NHL forever and at the Mercury News as an editor or reporter since 1987. For almost a decade he wrote about the Sharks as the paper's Fan in the Stands before joining the sports department in 2001. He became the Sharks beat writer before the 2007-08 season and began this blog at that time. You can also follow him on Twitter at @PollakOnSharks.